Stood Up
by thingsjusthappen
Summary: In which Regina is stood up while waiting for a date and ends up on a different date. AU


_A/N: I'm slowly getting back into it. If you read my other active stories, chapters will be posted soon. So far this is_ _just a one-shot. If anyone wants to continue it they are more than welcome too. Just PM me and we can talk about it and yeah. If you read my other stories you know to ignore spelling, grammar, and plot-holes because I obviously did! ;)_

* * *

 **Stood Up. _  
_** ** _"There is never a time of place for true love.  
_** ** _It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat,  
_** ** _in a single flashing, throbbing moment."  
_** ** _\- Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever_**

Ruby felt bad asking for the fifth time knowing that the woman was waiting for someone to arrive. It was boarding on an hour since the woman had been seated and stated that she was expecting someone. Ruby could tell that others around her were starting to give her pitying looks especially now that she was on her third glass of wine, it was, at this point evident that she'd been stood up by whatever shmuck she'd agreed to go on this date with.

Ruby wondered who this person was, because getting a reservation at _Enchanted_ was not easy and usually took a month to get in unless you knew the owners or someone who worked here. Ruby looked over to the hostess Belle who gave her a sad smile. Picking up the chilled wine bottle Ruby was about to start her trek back to the middle of the dining room but stopped as she saw a familiar blonde walking towards the table.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart! I wanted to make sure Henry was comfortable with the sitter before I left, I didn't expect it to take so long." Ruby rolls her eyes at how loudly the blonde is talking. Ruby raises a brow when she leans down and pecks the brunette's cheek before sitting across from her. Ruby catches the millisecond of confusion before she smiles seeming to just with it.

If you knew Regina Mills, you knew that she wasn't a very patient woman, but her mother had wanted her to go on this date. The man she was supposed to be meeting owned his own company and was very prominent within the business world. Her mother had been pestering her for months to at least meet the man, and she had about a week ago. Robin Locksley. He'd asked her out and here she was, waiting for him.

Regina Mills was not a pitiful woman to wait on other people, especially a man. After waiting twenty minutes she had set her phone on the table. She didn't want to miss if he called or texted with some excuse as to why he was late or possibly a no show. Regina knew that after the thirty minute mark and being on her third glass of wine, she should just give up but a part of her was curious to know if he'd show up or even try to give her an excuse over the phone.

But reaching an hour she was starting to feel pathetic and rather irate. Her mother had talked this man through the roof and he couldn't even show up for the first date. At this point she was waiting for her server, Ruby to return so she could get the check. Regina hadn't expected a well-dressed blonde to intrude in her personal space making the claim that she was her date. Regina felt cool lips on her cheek and warm breath caress her ear.

"I'm Emma, just go with it." Regina exhaled as Emma took the seat across from her. She was wearing a blacked tailored suit that fit her very nicely. "You are a vision of stunning Miss—" Emma unbuttoned her blazer as she met russet orbs.

"Mills, Regina Mills." Emma quirked a brow as she looked at the woman across from her.

"I can see it." Regina's brows furrowed not understanding.

"See what?"

"The relation between you, Zelena, and Coraline." Emma chuckled as she could see that Regina was slightly confused, yet intrigued as to how this Emma woman knew her family members. Regina opened her mouth to comment but stopped as Ruby stopped by the table and picked up Emma's glass. Regina watched as a white wine was poured into her unexpected date's glass. She was curious as to how the server knew what wine Emma would want.

"Glad to see that your date arrived, are you ready to order or would you like some more time?" Ruby questioned looking from Emma as she handed the filled wine glass to her and then to Regina who flushed slightly. She, of course, was more than ready to order, she'd spent the last hour reading over the menu. Emma smirked as she nodded giving Regina the go head to order. Ruby nodded as Regina spoke her order then looked to Emma who didn't even touch the menu before rattling off her order.

Once Ruby left after getting the particulars of how they'd want their meats cooked Regina looked to Emma who was taking a long sip of her wine. "Come here often?" Regina decided to ask as Emma smirked.

"More often than I care to admit."

"So you are in the habit of saving lonely people when their date's ditch them?" Emma was about to answer but Ruby returned with Regina's salad and Emma's soup. Emma waited a moment as they both began to eat before she answered the question.

"Belle and Lacey alerted me to the situation about thirty minutes ago." Regina raised a brow but didn't say anything as her mouth was full. "They're the twin hostesses." Emma explained before taking another bite of her soup.

"So you work here?"

"We weren't aware that you'd be joining us on the floor, boss lady." Regina looked up at the elderly woman dressed in chef's attire who had a pointed gaze at her blonde date who just shrugged and took another bite of her soup before answering.

"Yes, I have a date this evening." Emma winked in Regina's direction as the chef turned to look at Regina and gave her a smile.

"Don't let her try to impress you with the fact that she owns this hotel and restaurant." Regina felt herself flush once more as the chef turned her attention back to Emma. "I'll be cooking your meals personally tonight, but don't get used to it. I'm only doing it because Ruby alerted me to the fact that you decided to join us unannounced."

"Oh please Eugenia, you just want to make sure I don't try and fire none of your staff if something comes out wrong." Regina watched as Eugenia rolled her eyes.

"I happen to like my current crew,"

"Yeah, only took three years." Emma muttered as Eugenia snorted a short laugh.

"All semantics my child," Eugenia turned to look at Regina who was watching with keen interest. "Enjoy your date and don't let her try to impress you with this place. It's not really that impressive." Eugenia winked as Regina found herself nodding with a smile.

"I guess that answers my questions about how you know my mother and sister and if you work here." Regina spoke as Emma nodded.

"Yes, I guess it does."

"Were you going to tell me that you worked here?" Regina decided to ask as Emma nodded.

"I don't technically work here, I'm barely in this restaurant to be honest."

"Yet you knew the menu and the server, Ruby knew which wine you'd want to drink." Regina pointed out as Emma nodded once more.

"I live here and tend to order out a lot."

"You live in your hotel?" Emma nodded.

"It makes running it a whole lot easier, I have my own private wing."

"It's just you?"

"No, my son Henry and his newly acquired puppy that he got for Christmas." Emma smiled thinking about her seven year old and how happy he was when his grandfather said there was one more gift he hadn't opened yet.

"You have a son?"

"I thought I mentioned that rather loudly before I sat down?" Regina rolled her eyes at Emma's cheek.

"Yes, you did. How was I supposed to know you were telling the truth?"

"Well I do have son, but he is with his grandparents tonight, they took him to go ice skating and I think a horse and buggy ride through central park."

"How old is he?"

"Seven going on seventeen I swear." Emma shook her head as Regina chuckled. "Do you have any children?"

"No, my sister has two twin girls that keep me more than entertained when I watch them." Emma nodded, she'd met the twin Mills-Facilier children about a month ago when Zelena had brought them along on a reservation meeting she'd had with Emma to ensure that the Mills' company would be able to have their annual holiday party in one of the banquet rooms.

"Do you want children?"

"Maybe someday, but who knows if that will ever happen seeing as how a potential suitor can't even show up for dinner."

"Are you not enjoying yourself?" Emma inquired as Ruby silently took away their empty dishes.

"I am, the only reason I agreed to go on a date with Robin was because my mother insisted on it." Regina watched as Emma's brows furrowed with disgust.

"You agreed to go on a date with a married man?" Emma saw Regina's face drop. "Oh, you didn't know?"

"Robin is married? How do you know this? Are you sure we are talking about the same man?"

"Robin Locksley, he owns a fortune 500 company somewhere in Manhattan. His wife's name is Marian she runs the daycare center that Henry used to go to. I think their son is five now, maybe six." Emma spoke as Regina flushed.

"My mother wanted me to go on a date with a married man?" Emma could see that Regina was getting rather upset as she shook her head.

"Most people do not know he's married. I only know because I met her. She's a lovely woman and so in love with her husband that she seems to ignore his transgressions. I think mainly because she wants her son to grow up with a father. In this day in age it's difficult to have raise a child in a happy home." Regina looked into verdant orbs tilting her head slightly.

"You speaking from experience?" Regina decided to ask as Emma gave a small smirk.

"Not technically. Henry was an accident, a happy accident though. I was nineteen when my parents turned the company over to me officially. I'd only had my associates' in business management and was going for my bachelors in the fall. They'd thrown a surprise party for me later that night after telling me the news. I got drunk and ended up sleeping with one of my closest friends. Neal was all in, so excited when I told him that I was pregnant. We were never together but being friends, we made a great team with raising Henry. He was the best father I could have asked for." Regina breathed in slowly and exhaled catching the past tense of Emma's words.

"What happened to him, Neal I mean?"

"He died of a heart attack four years ago. It was so sudden and unexpected, I know that heart attacks are unexpected but he was only thirty years old. It apparently was a heart condition that his mother suffered from. After finding that out I got Henry tested, he his healthy and doesn't share the condition, thank goodness, but unfortunately his younger sister does." Emma gave a sad smile with a heavy exhale as Regina looked at her.

"You have two children?" Emma looked up and shook her head.

"Oh, no, Esmeralda is Tamara and Neal's daughter. When Henry was a year old Neal married Tamara and a year later had a daughter. They live in Gold Towers with Neal's father and step-mother. Although Neal refused to call Belle his mother." Regina raised a brow.

"Bella as in one of the twins who work for you?" Emma nodded. "One of them is married to your son's grandfather?" Emma nodded once more.

"Adam isn't as old as you are thinking and the twins aren't as young as they look." Emma commented just as their food arrived. They spent the next hours getting to know one another more. Regina learned that Emma had up to her master's degree and had been running her family's business for the last eight almost nine years. Emma had learned that Regina was only on the board of directors of her family's company and had branched out of the family business to be an editor. She now worked at one of New York's top gossip magazines as the chief editor.

"Could I interest you ladies in our dessert menu?" Ruby asked after the plates had been cleared from the table.

"No thank you, I'm pleasantly full." Regina answered as Emma agreed.

"Thanks Rubes, tell your grandma a little less salt next time." Emma winked as Ruby shook her head with a laugh and Regina watched the interaction with a smile. She could tell that Emma was an amazing boss. She took time to know her employees and interact with them, not just as a boss but as a friend they could talk to.

"If she comes at you with a knife again don't blame me." Ruby comments before walking away as Emma chuckled.

"Your cook came at you with a knife?" Emma nodded.

"I was eleven and wandered into the kitchen during a dinner rush. There is a reason I order all my meals out. I've learned a little bit in the ways of cooking but not much in my twenty-seven years." Emma laughed as Regina shook her head. "Would you care to join me for a nightcap?" Emma questioned after a few moments.

"I think I would very much enjoy that Ms. Swan." Emma stood up and grabbed her blazer that she'd hung on the back of the chair and put it on before walking over to Regina offering her hand to help her up. "Wait, what about the bill?" Regina questioned as they were walking out.

"Already been taken care of."

"Emma, you didn't have to do that." Emma smiled as they neared the elevators and she took out an all-black key card with a silver strip on the front and slid it into an opening right under the buttons for the elevator.

"I know I didn't," Emma started as they walked into the elevator and she pushed the top button. "Disclaimer, the place is a little messy and Lucifer might jump. We're still training him."

"You named the dog Lucifer?"

"No, Henry did. I wanted to name him midnight cause he's all black with a silver spot right between his eyes." Emma spoke as the elevator dinged and opened to what Regina could describe as the most beautiful hotel apartment she'd ever seen.

"Was this once your parents?" Emma shook her head.

"Yes and no. I made a lot of renovations when they turned the business over to me. It was a lot smaller cause we would only stay here if my parents had important business meetings that required more than the required time." Regina nodded as Emma led them further into the apartment. As they grew closer to the kitchen little paws could be heard as a little German Shepard rounded a corner and was happily running towards them. Regina couldn't help herself as she kneeled and allowed the pup to jump on her. She fell backwards laughing as Lucifer began licking her face.

"He's stronger than he looks." Regina commented as Emma was chuckling at her house guest who somehow seemed to make getting toppled over by a puppy graceful.

"That he is." Emma looked at Lucifer who was still trying lick Regina. "Lucifer, off." The dog looked up at hearing its name before turning his attention to his owner. He hopped off of Regina and bound over to Emma jumping up towards her as Emma shook her head at his playfulness. "Bed. Now." Emma spoke sternly as Lucifer stopped jumping and bound over to the lounge chair he'd claimed his first night in the hotel apartment.

"He's a good listener for being a pup." Regina spoke looking up at Emma who walked over to her to help her up.

"He had training classes before Christmas. My parents kept him at their place until Christmas. He listens to me because I am the one who took him to his classes." Emma pointed out as she held out her and Regina took it. Emma pulled a little too hard causing Regina to stumble slightly into her arms. Emma chuckled as she held Regina close.

"So he sees you as the master?" Regina decided to comment enjoying the closeness of being in Emma's arms. Instead of answering Emma decided to close the gap between them. Just before their lips touch Emma stopped and looked into russet orbs.

"Come," Emma spoke softly on Regina's lips who chuckled slightly meeting verdant orbs.

"Gladly." Regina pressed her lips to Emma's thinking about for once in her life she was happy that she'd been stood up.


End file.
